Silent Hunter — Duel Over the Steppe Russian Su-57 “Felon” and American F-35 “Lightning II”

Air combat in the 21st century has transitioned from the raw maneuverability duels of the past to an invisible chess game of sensors, networks, and electronic warfare. The duel over the Eurasian steppe between a Russian Su-57 “Felon” and American F-35 “Lightning II” encapsulates this shift. Both fighters carried not only advanced radar and infrared systems, but also a digital nervous system of mission computers, fibre-optic buses, and electronic countermeasure suites that blurred the lines between pilot and machine. The engagement demonstrated how victory no longer hinges solely on who sees the enemy first, but on who processes, fuses, and deceives information most effectively.

1. Takeoff & Mission Start

A. Pilot POV — Su-57 “Falcon One” (Major Artem Volkov, Russian Aerospace Forces)

Major Artem Volkov eased his Su-57 down the runway at Lipetsk Air Base, the engines surging to afterburner thrust. The HUD symbology shimmered—artificial horizon bar, digital altitude ladder, green GLONASS waypoint diamond generated by the NS Navigation + Polyot-5-111N system, cross-checked by RSBN beacons and the BINS-SP2M strapdown INS.

His two MFDs lit up, showing the ICS-57 hybrid avionics suite booting: left MFD on tactical radar, right MFD on sensor fusion overlay. Voice command—“Combat profile”—instantly shifted the cockpit symbology, loading the Himalayas L402 EW countermeasure suite, 101KS Atoll optical system, and secure BKS-57 datalink.

Three other Su-57s joined in formation, their status icons appearing in green overlaid on his HUD, linked through the fibre-optic IEEE-1393B backbone.

B. Enemy POV — F-35 “Razor Flight” (Major John Hayes, USAF, 493rd FS)

Hundreds of kilometers west, Major John Hayes’ F-35A Lightning II climbed in stealth cruise, HUD glowing faint green: altitude tape, flight vector, and MADL (Multifunction Advanced Datalink) formation markers. His wingmen—callsigns Razor Two, Three, Four—appeared as blue triangles on the distributed display.

The AN/APG-81 AESA radar stayed silent, emissions controlled. Instead, the EOTS IRST and passive ELINT scanned the horizon. His HMD (Helmet Mounted Display) projected sensor tracks directly onto the sky. Their task: intercept and probe Russian forces operating over contested airspace near the Black Sea steppe.

2. First Contact — Sensor Fencing

A. Su-57 POV

On Volkov’s left MFD, the N036 Byelka forward AESA radar swept a 400 km sector. Two faint returns blinked on the tactical screen. Instantly, the cheek-mounted N036B side radars cross-checked azimuth data. Ghosts solidified into red diamonds—two stealth contacts.

The N036L L-band AESA arrays in the wing slats pulsed, interrogating IFF codes. Three green flashes returned from Russian friendlies far ahead, but the two new tracks stayed dark red—hostiles.

Additional coverage from the LEVCON-mounted AESAs and the wingtip radars fused into a 360° detection sphere.

Synthetic voice from ICS-57:

“Two bogeys, bearing 160, distance 160 km, angels 25.”

On the HUD, two small diamonds blinked near the horizon line, updated in real time.

B. F-35 POV

Hayes’ cockpit remained quiet—no spikes on the RWR. The Su-57s were operating in LPI (Low Probability of Intercept) radar modes, so his sensors saw nothing. But his passive DAS (Distributed Aperture System) showed four IR heat plumes climbing from the east. “Razor, tally infrared signatures, four contacts, high fast movers.”

He tagged them on his display; the tracks propagated across the MADL datalink, turning into four red symbols on all his wingmen’s HMDs.

Stealth doctrine said: see first, shoot first. But the Russians had spread out wide in combat spread formation, making clean IR locks difficult.

3. Fusion & Intercept — Trap Closing

A. Su-57 POV

Volkov switched the right MFD to fusion overlay: radar vectors, IRST from the 101KS-V OLS-50M, and passive ELINT from the Himalayas suite. Glowing IR icons merged with radar diamonds, giving precise vectors.

A yellow arc bloomed on the HUD—rear coverage from the N036Kh aft radar. The EW processor suggested “Soft Jam” on a background datalink channel—subtle DRFM interference to mask formation emissions.

His four-ship spread locked into offensive intercept geometry: wide arc, closing in from multiple aspects. The BKS-57 datalink synchronized tracks at 2 Gbit/s, every Su-57 pilot seeing the same unified tactical picture.

B. F-35 POV

Hayes squinted through the HMD symbology. Four Su-57s, fanned out, closing in. His APG-81 radar went to LPI burst mode, short pulses, hoping not to trigger Russian RWRs. Returns bounced—barely visible. The Russians were harder to paint than expected.

“Razor Flight, commit hot. Two-ship lead bracket left, two-ship trail bracket right. We’ll pinch them.”

His left MFD showed missile status—AMRAAM loadout armed.

4. First Shots Fired

A. Su-57 POV

Volkov’s HUD shooting cue circle snapped onto the lead hostile. Cursor placed—handoff from radar to IRST. Radar emissions ceased; the IRST silently guided the lock.

“Fox Three.”

The internal bay doors snapped open. An R-77M active radar missile dropped free, igniting in a brilliant plume. The HUD showed a guidance tether line, with mid-course updates fed via Byelka radars and fibre-optic buses.

His wingmen fired ripple—two more R-77Ms streaked out, trajectories coordinated automatically by ICS-57’s algorithms.

B. F-35 POV

Hayes’ Missile Approach Warning System (MAWS) suddenly lit crimson on his cockpit display, a sharp threat arrow flashing on the Heads-Up Display (HUD)—an inbound missile lock. Reacting instantly, he snapped into a hard break left as his AN/ASQ-239 Electronic Warfare (EW) suite surged to maximum power, unleashing Digital Radio Frequency Memory (DRFM) jamming bursts across multiple bands. The system automatically triggered expendables—streams of chaff and infrared flares burst into the sky—while a towed decoy spooled out behind to lure the missile seeker away. Simultaneously, Hayes counterpunched: “Fox Three,” he called, as his AN/APG-81 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, running in Low Probability of Intercept (LPI) track-while-scan mode, guided two blazing AIM-120D Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) off the rails, their exhaust plumes carving into the thin stratosphere toward the enemy formation.

5. Countermeasures & Maneuvers

A. Su-57 POV

The 101KS-U (Ultraviolet Missile Approach Warning System) blared a crimson alert across Major Volkov’s HUD—an AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile) was inbound. The L402 Himalayas Electronic Warfare Suite instantly activated its layered defensive countermeasures: first, Digital Radio Frequency Memory (DRFM) jamming generated false range gates to confuse the AMRAAM’s radar seeker; simultaneously, the twin 101KS-O (Oborona – Defence) DIRCM turrets swiveled and fired focused infrared (IR) laser beams to blind the missile’s infrared guidance; finally, a coordinated burst of flares and chaff deployed at precise intervals to saturate the missile’s sensors. Volkov yanked his Su-57 into a violent barrel roll dive, the HUD’s altitude ladder unwinding rapidly as the jet plunged. At just 200 meters above ground, the radar altimeter streamed precision clearance data while the 101KS-P (Pilotazh/Posadka – Pilotage/Landing) infrared/ultraviolet terrain-following sensors projected glowing contour lines of the terrain on his display, guiding him in a nap-of-the-earth escape maneuver that broke the missile’s lock.

B. F-35 POV

Hayes pulled high-G, straining against blackout. His HMD symbology showed inbound R-77M tracks curving toward him. His AMRAAMs had gone active seeker, HUD showing “A” for autonomous mode.

Suddenly, one AMRAAM symbol blinked—lost lock. Russian DRFM jamming had blinded it. The second detonated prematurely, fooled by flares.

But Hayes’ wingman shouted: “Splash one Su-57!” A green icon showed a successful kill from Razor Two’s AMRAAM.

6. Kill Confirmations

A. Su-57 POV

Volkov’s HUD triangle blinked—R-77M terminal active. The red hostile diamond disappeared with a sharp blink—splash one F-35.

His wingman scored too—two red diamonds cleared. Tactical display now showed 2 vs 2.

B. F-35 POV

Hayes cursed. Razor Three’s jet vanished from the display—killed by R-77M. Razor Four called: “I’m hit, ejecting!” Another F-35 symbol winked out.

Now it was 2 F-35s vs 3 Su-57s.

7. Withdrawal & Landing

With fuel low and missiles spent, both sides disengaged. The Russians broke east, covered by Himalayas EW curtain. The Americans turned west, dragging jammers and releasing last decoys.

Volkov’s GLONASS + BINS-SP2M INS guided him back to Lipetsk. On approach, the MLS Microwave Landing System painted a glide slope bracket on his HUD. Voice command—“Landing mode”—stripped his MFDs to just airspeed, altitude, vector. He greased onto the runway, combat mission complete.

Hayes landed at Aviano, his HMD still replaying lost wingmen.

8. Debriefing

A. Russian Side (Su-57, Volkov):

“Byelka radar coverage plus L-band arrays gave us first detection. Fusion through ICS-57 ensured lock integrity. Himalayas suite proved decisive against AMRAAM seekers. However, loss of Falcon Four indicates vulnerability to multi-axis AMRAAM salvos. Recommend software patch to EW auto-reaction timing.”

B. American Side (F-35, Hayes):

“Su-57 L-band radars detected earlier than anticipated—stealth compromised. Russian DRFM and DIRCM neutralized two AMRAAMs, indicating robust defensive suite. Our MADL comms worked flawlessly, but formation was overextended. Recommend higher-altitude engagement and standoff JASSM tactics in future.”

9. Conclusion

The duel over the steppe underscored the reality that modern aerial warfare is as much about the invisible contest of electrons and photons as about steel and fuel. The Su-57 and F-35 exemplify two philosophies of air combat: Russia’s emphasis on sensor diversity, electronic countermeasures, and extreme maneuverability, versus America’s doctrine of stealth, data networking, and precision-guided efficiency. Neither emerged as an undisputed “winner,” but both demonstrated that in the age of the Silent Hunter, survival and success depend on mastering the fusion of sensors, networks, and countermeasures in a battlespace where the enemy may be detected not by sight, but by a fleeting digital echo. 

Note: This story is entirely fictional and does not reflect any real-life events, military operations, or policies. It is a work of creative imagination, crafted solely for the purpose of entertainment engagement. All details and events depicted in this narrative are based on fictional scenarios and have been inspired by open-source, publicly available media. This content is not intended to represent any actual occurrences and is not meant to cause harm or disruption.